Samsung Display has begun the development of a thinner version of its quantum dot (QD)-OLED panel, TheElec has learned.

The aim is to reduce the use of glass substrates from the current two to one, sources said.

If the South Korean display panel succeeds, the new version of QD-OLED will also be rollable, they said.

Samsung Display’s first commercial version of the QD-OLED panel, which started production late last year, has a glass substrate for the thin-film transistor (TFT) and another for the QD color conversion layer.

The current iteration of the QD-OLED panel is comprised of, from the bottom, the following layers: glass substrate TFT, anode, emission layer, cathode, blue OLED encapsulation, filter, QD color conversion layer encapsulation, QD color conversion layer, QD color conversion layer glass substrate.

Samsung Display’s new project is aiming to remove the QD color conversion layer glass substrate at the top.

The company is aiming to apply inkjet printing on top of the blue OLED encapsulation before the QD color conversion encapsulation process is done atop it.

Samsung Display will be able to save costs on materials and simplify the production process for QD-OLED panels if it succeeds.

Sources said its production process for QD-OLED panels is currently considered more complicated than that of rival LG Display’s for white-OLED panels.

Samsung Display could remove more than the QD color conversion layer glass substrate if it can, they said.

QD-OLED panels are expected to be used by Samsung and Sony for their TVs this year. Dell has also launched a monitor using the panel.